Showers Pass Cloudburst Jacket: Getting Rolling – by Guitar Ted
Today Showers Pass has released the news of a new, packable, lightweight rain jacket. The new jacket is called the Cloudburst, and we have had one of these new jackets in-hand for a bit to check it out and get acquainted with. Here following are the details on this newest offering from Showers Pass.
What It Is: The Cloudburst is a fully seam-sealed rain jacket made with a new fabric called eliteAIR™. This new fabric has the characteristic of being stretchable and very breathable. The jacket also is packable with less bulk than many seam sealed rain jackets. Here is what Showers Pass has to say about this new Cloudburst jacket from their press release:
“…Cloudburst Jacket: the first rain jacket built by the 23-year industry veteran using their new eliteAIR™ fabric technology. The soft and flexible feel and whopping 43K breathability rating push performance to the next level while still offering waterproof protection. “
- MSRP: $189 – Men’s Colors: Mandarin (Tested) & Titanium
- Men’s sizes; Small, Medium, Large, X-Large (Tested)
- MSRP: $189 – Women’s Colors: Mandarin & Titanium
- Women’s sizes; Small, Medium, Large, X-Large
The Cloudburst Jacket also features a tailored fit, a full-zip front with a storm flap, 4-way stretch fabric, is fully seam taped, and has large core vents which double as mesh pockets. There is a large back pocket which doubles as the pouch to pack the jacket into. There is a double cinch cord at the hem, and many reflective accents throughout for visibility.
Probably the most amazing claim concerns the three layer eliteAIR™ which Showers Pass claims as having a rating of 43,000 breathable/10,200 waterproof (g/m/24hr/mmH2O).
First Impressions: When I was told that this Cloudburst Jacket was ‘extremely breathable‘ you could imagine the eye-roll I exhibited. I expressed as much to my contact, but I have been assured that this is a much different jacket than others in this regard. You may wonder about those stated numbers above, as did I. So, I did a little digging and to make this succinct, I will boil it down to simplest terms. A higher number on the water-proofness rating is more desirable. A higher number on the breathability scale is also desirable. In my research, I found that the waterproof rating of the Cloudburst figures in to be about the norm for rain-proof jackets. However; the claimed breathability figure is pretty high on the charts. Not “GORE TEX Shake Dry” high, (which is about twice as high as most jackets as claimed by GORE), but far above what most recommend as being “very good” in terms of breathability. That is impressive.
Okay, we’ll see about that. Now, as to the rest, I can heartily say that the fabric is indeed stretchy, comfortable, and soft to the touch. A lot of rain jackets you may not feel comfortable with having direct contact with your skin, like your arms, let’s say. Not so with the Cloudburst. I could see this being used as a windbreaker as well as a rain jacket, if the breathability claim is true. Again, we will see about that.
The fit of the Cloudburst is trim, but not race cut in my opinion. I opted for the size XL as the previous Showers Pass jacket I tried, The Elements Jacket, was also a size XL. I found the Cloudburst to fit very similarly, with maybe a slight bit more room in the Cloudburst, but this may be the stretchy fabric.
The Cloudburst does indeed pack down fairly small- you’d get this into a saddle bag of a larger size, and I could easily palm/one hand the jacket, but this isn’t going in a jersey pocket, or anything like that. So, about average there. The Cloudburst weighed 330 grams on my digital scale. Not bad. Lighter than the other rain jackets I have around here, that’s for sure.
So Far… Okay, so here’s the deal- I’m stuck in a Winter mode right now and eventually Spring will arrive and with that- rain. Hopefully! (We need the rain) So, it may be a while before I can get you readers a good idea on what this jacket performs like out on the gravel roads. That said, I did a fat bike ride in this once before the embargo on a heavy mist day with the temperature hovering around 30°F.
In the meantime, I really am impressed with the stretchy fabric and the soft feel of the material. It’s very “soft-shell” like, if that makes any sense to you. Not the plasticky feel many rain jackets have, that much is for certain.
Preliminary impressions from the fat bike ride? There is something to the breathability claims here, but….. This was at 30°F. Stay tuned….. Yeah…..very skeptical on that, but Showers Pass is confident I will have a good experience with the Cloudburst, so I am expecting to be proven wrong here. Stay tuned for that and more when I come back for my final verdict on this jacket. Hopefully that will be sooner than later, but I am thinking mid-March or so.
Note: Showers Pass sent over the Cloudburst Jacket for test and review to Riding Gravel at no charge. We were not paid, nor bribed for this review and we will always strive to give our honest thoughts and views throughout.
30F would be perfect for me to test breathability. Generally I need it to be <25F not to sweat out in a waterproof jacket.
@shiggy – Well, you’d probably like this jacket then. I thought it did well on a high aerobic output ride (fat bike in deep snow) so I was fairly impressed by that. The big test for me is a high humidity day with anything temp-wise above 55°F. That pushes the point of even wearing a rain jacket here, because typically you end up as wet on the inside as you would without a rain jacket anyway. Jury is out yet for me until I see weather like that.
Very interested in this jacket. I have two rain jackets, both with removable sleeves and I hardly ever use them with the sleeves on because I get wetter from the inside out than from any rain. I’m looking for one that you can wear as a windbreaker on those cool/cold days when you might also get rained on. I figure if I’m out and it monsoons I’ll get wet no matter what. Just want to stay dry in the lighter stuff.
Thanks for the Part 1 review. Curious what you are wearing underneath the Cloudburst jacket when in the temp zones of 30 deg, 40 deg?
Longtime reader of your Blogspot guitar TED blog, Cheers Byron in Calif
@Byron TGI Friday – Thank you for reading the Guitar Ted Productions blog and Riding Gravel!
For that particular ride I wore a long sleeve base layer, a Bontrager long sleeved wool jersey. There wouldn’t be much room for anything else here.
HI I am SOOOO interested in this Jacket. I have been very disappointed in Gortex in that it is NEVER water proof, and often after two or three long walks in the rain it is no longer even water resistant. I have spent way TOO much money over the years on brands like Marmot and REI–only to be soaking wet from EXTERNAL moisture. Have you ever seen that Toyota ad where the hikers run into a cave to escape the rain? One of the models is wearing a $250.00 + Gortex REI jacket! Of course he is running to get out of the rain, I know I was an idiot and bought that same jacket–it was water resistant for one or two wet walks at best. I have read small handful of reviews about this jacket and not one talks about what is is like to be in a HEAVY rain for more than 20 minutes. Will it keep you dry? You can always test it in your shower :-). Until then I will wear garbage bags and be wet from own sweat, which so far has always been preferable! Hope you are staying well, peace, Fred
@Fred – I’ve been frustrated by wet weather gear and I have had it ‘wet-out’ on me after a few wearings also, so I think I understand you here. Now, I also have to interject that weatherproofing doesn’t last forever with any garment. Sweat, dirt, and environmental issues compromise the effectiveness of rain gear over time and usage. Thus the Nikwax and reapplication of some rain proofing products like it are often just a part of owning any rainwear. This stuff always works best when new.
That said, I’m not interested in jumping in the shower and seeing if this jacket ‘works’ or not. That really won’t tell me anything in regard to what the jacket is made for- and that is cycling/running/hiking, not standing under a flow of water. (Your garbage bag will handle that famously)
So, patience….. I will be seeing springtime sooner than later and I will get this jacket out and see what the deal is then.
Hopefully the Cloudburst is what Showers Pass says it is. If not, you and my other readers will know, because I won’t hesitate to say so. Thanks for reading!